Process of manufacturing sulfuric acid.



A IVI. L. HANAHAN. PROCESS 0F MANUFACTURING SULFURIC ACID. APPLLcAloN FILED MAR` 2, 1917.

L@ Y Patented 1311.151918.

madness or marrunaoatnatrs sono.

Specification ci Letters Patente-d dalla.. t5, llt/31%.

Application flied March 2, 191'?. Seriali 15 o. 152,114. l

To all 'whom it may concern.'

Be it known that l, Manton L. HANAHAN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Dothan, in the county of Houston and State of Alabama, have invented certain new and useful lmprovements in Processes of-Manufacturing Sulfuric Acid, of which the following is a description.

My invention relates to the manufacture of sulfuric acid and has' particular reference to an improvement for increasing the capacity of a given sulfuric acid manufacturing plant by increasing the density of the sulfur dioxid which enters into the manufacture of the sulfuric acid.

It has been attempted heretofore to in crease the capacity of sulfuric acid plants and the lead chambers thereof but all patented methods of which l am aware are complicated and are also .expensive to install and operate. My object has, therefore,V been to obtain a greater capacity for a given sulfurie acid plant with the leastA possible eX- ypense for reconstruction and for maintaining the same after the improvement is installed..

The above and other objects and the novel features of my invention will be apparent from the following description taken in connection with the drawing which forms a part of this application.

u The drawing is a diagrammatic representation of a portion of a sulfuric acid manufacturing plant embodying my invention.

Referring tothe drawing, 10 represents one of a battery of pyrites furnaces 'or roasters in which sulfur bearing or pyrites ores are roasted or smelted to produce' sulfur gases, principally sulfur dioxid. rllhe ore furnace or pyrites roaster 10 may be of any `ordinary or preferred Construction, the one shown being intended to designate a lump pyrites burner but it is to be understood that pyrites fines burners and ,furnaces for roasting sulfur bearing ores may also be. ernployed. The pyrites burners are-lined with fire brick and the gas chamber in the tcp thereof is connected by a flue .11 to a dust chamber 12. The nitcr oven 131 beloaT the flue 11 contains one or more niter pots 13 which are of metal and adapted to hold nitrate of soda. A cast iron'funnel 14 is mounted on the. iue 11 and through it nitrate of soda may be readily poured into said niter pot or pots. By means of the funnel 14, I am able to feed the extra sodium nitrate needed to go along with the excess of sulfur' gases produced in the dust cham` bez` to be described. The lue' 11. enters the dust chamber at a point about midway between the top and bottom thereof, andthe dust chamber has an loui'zlet near its upper end which opens into a flue 15.

L east iron shallow pan or container 16 1s supported on the floor near the bottom of the dust chamber 12. rilhis pan 16 is des1gned to hold commercial sulfur when 'the same becomes molten and is burning llhe commercial sulfur is charged in the tanti@ through a door 17, cut in the side of tno dest chamber opposite thd sulfur container it. An air pipe 18 extends through the wall of the dust chamber and over the pan 16 and has one or more openings 19 to supply air or oxygen under pressure in close proximity to the sulfur in the pan 16. rllhis oxygen or air is necessary to support the combustion of the sulfur in the pan 16 to provide the sulfur dionid. lhe heat necessary for melt 'ing and buri'ling the sulfur in the pan i6 is derived from tue heat of the gases entering the dust chamber 19. from the pyrites rooster 10. The sulfur dioxid produced by the burning of the sulfur in the pan 16 in ythe presence of air supplied by the pipe 18 rises and commingles with the sulfur dioxid entering the dust chamber from the pyrites roaster and the sodium nitrate carried by the latter is sutiicient for the additional sulfur dionid produced by the burning'sulfur in the pan 15.

The comrninggled sulfur dioxid .from the pyrites roaster and from the burning sulfur in the pan 15 pass through the flue 15 into the Glovertowcr 19. where they are subjected to the usual treatment of a Glover tower. From'the Glover tower 19, the gases pass through the flue .20 into the lead cham bers 21 Where the are condensed into sulfuric acid in the usual Way. The products to be recovered pass through the due 22 into the Gay Lussac tower l't will be seen that l have provided an 'apparatus and method by means of t the sulfur diofiid gases entering 'the AAGlover tower may be greatly enriched so that the lead chambers 21 will be worked at a greater density and the amount of sulfuric acid condensed will be increased Without increasing the .cubic space required for lead chainbers. This increase in lead chamberca` pacity is obtained with or without using i intensif-1ers4 or other systems between the y vided and by these slniple changes I find it ossible to obtain very advantageous results with but little expense and no reconstruction.- It will be obvious that the expense of altering the dust chamber to render it capable of carrying out my process is comparatively small. Furthermore, no additional furnace or burner 1s necessary to heat the l sulfur in the dust chamber an burn it since the hot gases entering the dust chamber from the pyrites roaster are of such a high temperature that the sulfur in the pan 1G Will be readily melted and converted into sulfur dioxid in the presence of the air forced into the dust chamber through the pipe 18. Y

While I have shown and described my method and apparatus for working it in detail, it is to be understood that the typ: of pyrites burner and other parts of the apparatus ma be varied Without'departing from'the spirlt of the invention.

' Having described the invention, what is claimed and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

l. In an apparatus for use in the mainlacture of sulfuric acid, the combination with a pyrites Jfurnace or roaster, of a dust chamber communicating therewith and means for burning sulfur or similar matethat sulfur can be readily rial in said dust chamber adapted to produce sulfur gases.

2. In an apparatus for use in the manufacture of sulfuric acid, the combination with a pyrites furnace or roaster, of a dust chamber communicating therewith, a container in said dust chamber for holding sul# fur or similar material adapted to produce sulfur gases when heated, and means for delivering oxygen or air to the dust chamber in proximity to said container.

3. In an apparatus for use in the manufacture of sulfuric acid, the combination with a pyrites furnace or roaster, of a dust chamber communicating therewith, a container near the bottom of said dust chamber adapted to hold commercial sulfur, an openingV in the dust -iamber through which sulfur may be chargel into said container, and an air pipe extending into said dust chamber and having' one or more openings therein adapted to deliverl air in proximity to the sulfur in said container. A

4. In an apparatus for use in the manufacture of sulfuric acid, the combination with a pyrites roaster, of a dust chamber having an inlet intermediate its upper and lower ends communicating with said pyrites roaster, saddust chamber also having an outlet near its upper end, a container near the bottom of said dust chamber adapted to hold commercial sulfur to be burned in said dust chamber by the heat of the gases entering said dust chamber from said pyrites roaster, said dust chamber having` an opening therein through which sulfur may be charged into said sulfur container, and an air pipe extending into said dust chamber above the sulfur container and having one or more outlet openings in proximity to the sulfur in said container to promote the Conlbustion of the sulfur and the production of sulfur dioxid.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

MARION L. HANAHAN. 

